tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44936771867068579032015-07-13T14:48:08.824-07:00Subtractive DesignKynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-62594563551780319512013-07-21T12:55:00.003-07:002013-07-21T13:01:11.185-07:00Random Game Ideas Volume 2Here’s another collection of random game ideas I dumped on Twitter. I left them mostly unedited again. These are all from the same day. I may do an editing pass later but I don’t have time right now. I actually like a few of these enough to look into them later… maybe. J<br /><br /><br /><ul><li><strong>Brain Dead:</strong> a game in which you program how a zombie brain functions. Release zombie into the wild and see if you successfully take over.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>ProtoTour:</strong> Real car manufacturers (BMW, etc.) supply designs for futuristic hovercraft. Wipeout as if it were an actual simulation racing game.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>All Aboard:</strong> Build a ship and then stack as many people on it to see how many you can safely carry. More wins. Like bridge constructor games.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Burn Baby Burn:</strong> 3D Side Scroller. You play as a toddler made of fire spreading flames where you go. Burn buildings without getting PUT OUT!</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Rain of Terror:</strong> you play as a rain cloud that can terrorize by using different things as rain. Rain down scorpions, gasoline, etc. to destroy</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Sim Haunted House:</strong> Design haunted houses where little simulated crowds run through. Too scary and nobody goes, not scary enough nobody cares.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Vicious Cycle:</strong> Create a bicycle of Doom. Extend all kinds of weapons from the front and then see if it can reach the end of a warzone.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>&nbsp;Dozer Dozer:</strong> Play as a character that periodically falls asleep while using a bulldozer. Rival construction crews hire you to destroy sites.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Oh Snap:</strong> Play as a character trying to break as many bones falling down stairs to get a massive insurance claim. Try to be seen on way down.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Bad Puppy:</strong> You control a puppy that is possessed by a demon. Try to suppress the evil long enough to get adopted. Once at a new home UNLEASH</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Halo:</strong> You control a halo that turns anyone it sits over into an angel. Prevent bad people from committing crimes by hovering over them.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Book Worm:</strong> You play as a worm in a library. Your goal is to eat as many pages out of books without getting seen. It's a busy library.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Monkey Business:</strong> You control a monkey in a suit setting up a business providing services for other animals. Build up your monkey workforce.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Comedy Club:</strong> a game where you have a character who has a magical club that makes people laugh when you hit them with it. Make everyone happy</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>The Pick Up artist:</strong> a game where you draw different portions of a device that can pick up objects of different shapes. Draw the Claw!</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Don’t Cry Spy Guy:</strong> Play as a Spy on a mission. He has flashbacks to similar moments in his childhood that made him cry. Avoid similar moments</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Anger Management:</strong> A game where you play as an angry manager who rules through RAGE! Unleash your inner FURY to keep employees productive!</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Unbelievable Discovery:</strong> Play as an archaeologist who needs to rearrange existing dino bones to make up new creatures to fake new discoveries (Alt Name: ArchaeoloTwist) Dino Bone Mix Up.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>The Memorizer:</strong> You play as a character that can do anything that anyone does after seeing it done once: Watch someone practice then steal their glory.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Super Moves:</strong> A fighting game where every button is a super move and you can use them without requiring meter build up. Maybe no blocking.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Starving Artist:</strong> A game where you play a hungry artist who needs to paint based on requests to make money to eat. Speed Painting Rhythm Game.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Tossing and Turning:</strong> You play as a character trying to sleep. Bed Bugs try to creep up on you. Toss them out of bed by turning to face them.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong> Choose your Phone Adventure:</strong> Generate a multiple choice story based on contacts in your phone. After finishing your story it gets mailed out to your contacts.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Help!:</strong> a role playing game where you can't play. You have to make requests that allow your friends to play for you. Hopefully they listen.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Hot Line:</strong> You play as a character working for a phone sex line! You can only respond to callers using pre-recorded lines on a sound board. Would be fun to team up with FunnyOrDie to make "Hot Line" with famous comedians recorded for the sound board you use.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Road Kill:</strong> A photorealistic next gen "Frogger like" simulation where you play as a small animal trying to cross a busy highway. Real Life.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Solar Flair:</strong> You play as a Sun/Star trying to impress all of the other Stars in the Galaxy by sending out spectacular multicolored Flares.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Sensei:</strong> You play a teacher who must train students how to fight. The catch- CPU controlled students complete quests based on your teaching.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Protect Us All:</strong> wall creation simulator. Take turns building/repairing/defending a giant wall against creatures/natural disasters. Physics Sim</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong> All Hail The King:</strong> You are a storm king and you have to generate massive hail storms to protect the kingdom and influence your people.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><strong>Magic Mixologist:</strong> You play as a Witch Bartender who brews beverages for the witches and warlocks partying after a hard day of conjuring.</li></ul><br /><br />Bonus:<br /><br />I want <strong>Assassin's Colossus:</strong> a cross between Assassin's Creed and Shadow of the Colossus. Parkour + Giant Moving Levels = Win!<br /><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-28674171582010452652013-05-26T18:43:00.002-07:002013-05-26T18:43:51.831-07:00In Flight SketchesI was recently taking a trip so I thought I'd bring a sketchpad and do a bit of art while I waited. It was a long flight so I ended up filling up quite a few pages. Here's a selection of pages from the trip.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FzO8HWU-5X0/UaK4qjKh3VI/AAAAAAAAAK0/gmkMI1qIzNc/s1600/DSCN1349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FzO8HWU-5X0/UaK4qjKh3VI/AAAAAAAAAK0/gmkMI1qIzNc/s1600/DSCN1349.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_SNU1DzyuQw/UaK4q2n8C3I/AAAAAAAAAK8/9tTfeSafvzQ/s1600/DSCN1350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_SNU1DzyuQw/UaK4q2n8C3I/AAAAAAAAAK8/9tTfeSafvzQ/s1600/DSCN1350.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IqCXRMMUAwE/UaK4qhnx4LI/AAAAAAAAAK4/nRdy1HJIM-s/s1600/DSCN1351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IqCXRMMUAwE/UaK4qhnx4LI/AAAAAAAAAK4/nRdy1HJIM-s/s1600/DSCN1351.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QTz-aDOz6cY/UaK4rVkbf0I/AAAAAAAAALI/Nzmco1AzmCw/s1600/DSCN1352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QTz-aDOz6cY/UaK4rVkbf0I/AAAAAAAAALI/Nzmco1AzmCw/s1600/DSCN1352.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ky-es6-u3hA/UaK4rePdZVI/AAAAAAAAALM/b-gL3qb9vaY/s1600/DSCN1353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ky-es6-u3hA/UaK4rePdZVI/AAAAAAAAALM/b-gL3qb9vaY/s1600/DSCN1353.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4UWXuUdPh4/UaK4rS1t1iI/AAAAAAAAALQ/HftoaS73jDY/s1600/DSCN1355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4UWXuUdPh4/UaK4rS1t1iI/AAAAAAAAALQ/HftoaS73jDY/s1600/DSCN1355.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bt-ng8ugKMQ/UaK4r2WSrYI/AAAAAAAAALk/1HfagohzPdw/s1600/DSCN1356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bt-ng8ugKMQ/UaK4r2WSrYI/AAAAAAAAALk/1HfagohzPdw/s1600/DSCN1356.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-28Jfd56O-SM/UaK4r_GK-0I/AAAAAAAAALo/VyXjEWQ4ho4/s1600/DSCN1357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-28Jfd56O-SM/UaK4r_GK-0I/AAAAAAAAALo/VyXjEWQ4ho4/s1600/DSCN1357.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-syWrF5XoSsA/UaK4sPgqQUI/AAAAAAAAALs/-diIGF9zN0I/s1600/DSCN1358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-syWrF5XoSsA/UaK4sPgqQUI/AAAAAAAAALs/-diIGF9zN0I/s1600/DSCN1358.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rS7qp1VxM3s/UaK4st-TK9I/AAAAAAAAAL8/ZHje03xDStk/s1600/DSCN1359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rS7qp1VxM3s/UaK4st-TK9I/AAAAAAAAAL8/ZHje03xDStk/s1600/DSCN1359.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5IDpeIx3vwM/UaK4sgzpLQI/AAAAAAAAAMA/Yzke0XBbtEs/s1600/DSCN1360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5IDpeIx3vwM/UaK4sgzpLQI/AAAAAAAAAMA/Yzke0XBbtEs/s1600/DSCN1360.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TqErTxSPTQI/UaK4s4D4VBI/AAAAAAAAAME/t9Ju4uw767Y/s1600/DSCN1361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TqErTxSPTQI/UaK4s4D4VBI/AAAAAAAAAME/t9Ju4uw767Y/s1600/DSCN1361.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's a pretty wide assortment of subjects. A few creatures, aliens, characters and even some side scrolling level ideas. :) I think I ended up with a couple interesting concepts. There are a few ideas I will revisit later. ﻿</div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-26766164492695491952013-03-10T09:34:00.002-07:002013-03-10T09:34:46.722-07:00Random Game Ideas! <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">About a month or two ago I started throwing out random game ideas on twitter under a “Games I will never make” category. Since twitter is a very fluid and temporary thing I know that a bunch of these have never been seen. I wanted to put them all in one place so I would remember them. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I left the text “mostly” unedited from the original posts. Part of the charm is trying to fully express an idea with only 1 or 2 tweets. Here they are in order:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Robots on a Date:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> There are no movement options. All you can do is interact by talking! 2 Robots talking to each other in a coffee shop. (maybe text 2 speech or voice recognition) In game conversation systems should be given as much attention, detail and depth as combat systems in fighting games! C-C-C-Convo-Breaker!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Auto Scroller!:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> You control a boss on the right side of the screen dropping obstacles to prevent a hero from reaching u.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(QWOP and CLOP Remix Edition) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GULP:</b> try to swallow without gag/choke/puke! <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LOVE:</b> Uncoordinatedly Making Out!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Sick Secrets:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> You play as a spy with a cold. You have to hide to avoid getting caught but you are constantly sneezing attracting attention! You can mash the button to keep from sneezing but it builds up in power.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Censored:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> You control censor blur and have to cover up sections of the screen where content needs to be covered. Fail and get fined.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Spread the Dead!:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> You play a zombie infection cell inside of a body. Gotta reach the brain! Then control infected to bite next level! It could start as something small and slow like a zombie mouse and work up to larger faster zombie creature hosts like a lion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Snuggle Bug:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Play a bug who loves to snuggle people! Build Snuggle Meter through contact. Avoid getting swat since people hate bugs!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Love Magnet:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Main character "Married" cursed to cause anyone who sees him/her to fall in love and madly chase. Get home w/o cheating!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Whale Whisperer:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Whales call out to you and you have to mimic the callback to them through a microphone! If you fail, the whales tell you that you sound like an Idiot! (subtitled of course) If you succeed then your friends will tell you the same. Better with Kinect!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Breathless:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> play as a fish out of water with physics based movement flopping your way back into a water source. Levels could start with small fish getting back into a fish tank and eventually scale up to a whale trying to get back into the ocean.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Kinect Slap:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Like fruit ninja + annoying characters talking trash instead of fruit! They lean into range POP! Fight Night Style Face Ripple!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shia Labeouf's Kinect Adventure:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Shia runs through levels and you have to shout "no no no No NO NOoo!"! to get him to avoid getting killed. Shia responds to voice commands only! How you say No gets him to either dodge, stop or run faster depending on quantity or volume of No's!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Home Wrecker:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> A physics based stealth action vandalism game. Realtors pay you to destroy rival realtors homes while they give you a tour. You have to destroy everything without being seen, while feigning interest in what the realtor tells you about the property. Cartoony Style!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Crow:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> A game in which you play as a Crow who lives near a restaurant. You have to steal uneaten food off of people’s plates before they get bussed. You can try and get bold and take food while people are eating but the waiters might get more violent when shooing you away or worse. More NPC crows show up as you play to increase pressure/difficulty. Or maybe it's competitive CvC against real players? Crow Vs Crow! You juggle multiple tables.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Last Breath:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> You control (2 buttons) inhale/exhale of a dying patient in hospital. You have to breathe to stay alive as family says goodbye. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">If you stop breathing you pass on. If your rhythm is bad you start coughing and have to recover. Breath too fast or too slow and it's over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Terrordactyl</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> : You fly over an endless prehistoric ocean. Have to flap wings manually (Birdman PilotWings64) Eat fish to survive. Use Dactyl Focus to spot the silhouette of fish under surface. Tuck wings in to dive. Avoid BIG SILHOUETTES! You can land on water to rest.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Barber Chop:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Wish Halfbrick would make a barber shop game where you cut hair instead of fruit. Cut and Style! HairNinja - Could be so funny! TressFX :O<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Alien Probe-lem:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Play as a hotel owner that has to prevent guests from being taken away by aliens every night! Side view. You can see all of the rooms and when guests are being tractor-beamed out of windows. Difficulty escalates each night.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Gimme a Hand at the Office:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> First person on rails game where all you control is a hand. You can wave to coworkers, hit them, and steal things. Might play like Surgeon Simulator 2013. Your character moves around automatically but you can do what you want with the hand. Sit at your desk you can hammer on the keyboard to look like you are working. Try not to get fired and get others fired to get promoted!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">This Little Piggy:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> You control toes that disconnect from a baby each night. You have to accomplish missions like going to the market. You have to get back onto the Babies foot before he/she wakes up and notices that his/her toes are gone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Wiggle Worm:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> each button on your keyboard controls a segment of a worm. Plays like QWOP but trying to dig down instead of run. Side view!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Block Party:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> 8 player multiplayer - each player builds a house on a street with a 5 minute limit. At the end blocks show up to party! The blocks rotate to each of the houses and at the end return to the best house to party. Players also get to control blocks and vote.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Perfect Storm:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> You generate currents on a globe to try and create mega storms. Timed. At the end it tallies damage to countries 4 points<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Belly Buster:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Ragdoll Sim - Side view - Knock a large ragdoll into a pool to try and get as much water out of the pool as possible!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Laugh Out Loud!:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> requires a cam and mic, maybe Kinect, Send pictures to your friends. If they actually lol you get a point. Laugh Roulette!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">An Udder Disaster:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Cows are Aliens and they've turned humanity into slaves through parasites in the milk. You are a Lactose Intolerant Hero!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">BONUS </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">– After Nintendo announced that the Zelda team was working on a new Zelda with a focus on multiplayer I put up two different ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Legend of Zelda: Triforce</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> - 3 player co-op. Play as the Goddesses taking on Evil in the War of Legend. co dev by Platinum Please :)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Squad</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> - 3 player co-op as Link, Impa and Groose! (Pray you don't get stuck playing as Groose)</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 6pt 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">&nbsp;</span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On twitter Josh Watkins asked me”<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <span lang="EN">What do you come up with first for these random game ideas? Name, mechanics, rules, visuals? Or is it different every time?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I responded saying that <span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">it's a design philosophy. Take a word or phrase and represent it completely with as few mechanics as possible. Get to the point! Try not to think about existing conventions unless it helps to describe more easily. Unlimited idea possibilities. Subtractive Design!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If I come up with another collection of these I may do this again. Thanks for checking this stuff out. I’ll never make any of these games but it’s just fun to pitch ideas. I think some of these actually have potential though. Maybe some other dev will be inspired by them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-54342610813406480582013-02-28T22:58:00.000-08:002013-02-28T22:58:01.820-08:00Making Platforming Games <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Making Platforming Games<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve had quite a bit of interest from people wanting to hear some advice on making side scrolling platforming games... So I’ve taken some time to write up some of my thoughts on making a solid, traditional, 2D or 3D side scrolling platformer. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It takes a lot of time and effort to make something look and feel great. I’ve always loved platformers and have tried to keep up with all of the most significant releases and the most interesting independent ones. I still continue to play platforming games when something big or unique comes along. I’m surprised how often I see games that have tons of potential but just miss out on a few details that prevent them from being legendary. I want there to be more definitive, iconic, polished and memorable side scrollers, mostly because I want to play them and get swept away. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve decided to put together a quick reference list of the things I try to thinking about when creating a side scrolling platformer as well as the things I look for when playing them. Some of these elements don’t apply to everything since the mechanics can be so diverse between games. I’m pretty much going to talk about games that have run and jump gameplay with additional systems here and there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t Underestimate<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s never easy to make a polished game. Anything you plan to do is going to take 3-4 times longer and require more effort than you will anticipate at first. You’ll get better at predicting how long something takes to do with experience but even the most experienced developers often make the mistake of underestimating the time and resources it takes to make something polished. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nothing is “a given” or trivial. Everything matters. A 2D/3D side scroller can actually be harder to make than other genres because every single screen requires unique configurations if you are trying to make something solid and memorable. Making games takes work and making great games requires even more. Experimentation takes time and it’s going to take time to figure out what works. Even if you’ve made platforming games before, each game has its own unique qualities. It does get easier with experience and there are some general rules/philosophies that work in most situations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Broad Appeal<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In some ways it’s actually easier to make a weird or quirky game. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>You can do whatever you want and the mechanics can be as unique as you want them to be. If you aren’t trying to make a game that has broad appeal then move on to the next section. To be broadly appealing then a game should be accessible in gameplay and even in visual theme. It’s really hard to be definitive, elegant and iconic. That’s why there are so few platforming games that stand the test of time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Foundation<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Your camera is your game</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"> – The camera in a side scrolling platformer is one of the most important parts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your camera needs to be stable and smooth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In most solid platformers the camera shouldn’t keep the character in the center of the screen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you have “falling to death” then the camera shouldn’t scroll down when a player falls in a pit. The bottom of the screen should equal death if you want to make it clear to players. It also shouldn’t move up when the player jumps unless the character is going off of the top of the screen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You should try lock your camera to a single axis so that it’s only moving left to right or up and down in any given section of a level that players have control. This means you will reduce the amount of camera shifting and keep a frame of reference. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Players don’t feel confident when speed running or being reckless running at full speed if the camera shifts around when they jump. It makes for a less consistent experience and doesn’t feel as solid as some of the best platformers of all time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Build your levels to support a particular style of camera.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">The Jump Needs to Feel Great</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"> – The jump is everything! If the jump doesn’t feel right then the game will suffer and more often than not fail. The Team will try to come up with “band aid” features thinking the game needs more in order to be fun. If your game isn’t fun just running and jumping then you messed up and need to get that part right before moving on. (This is usually the most significant problem in a platforming game that isn’t good) Here are a few tips for making a jump feel good.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>If the jump is too floaty then it’s harder to land on enemies and platforms reliably. This will cause players to miss time their jumps and they will get impatient waiting for the character to come down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If the jumps are too fast then players will tend to land in front of enemies or platforms since they will jump early. This often results in characters that jump into the sides of platforms on the way their way down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My opinion is that a good jump is responsive, weighty and forgiving. It should go up fast, have a little hang time and then drop pretty hard. (this is personal preference and can change based on the type of character and game)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you allow air control during a jump then test to see if players can recover from a bad jump while in midair. If they almost never recover then you should increase air control. If they recover even if they react very late in the jump then you might have too much air control. It’s a balancing act.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you don’t allow for air control after a jump then you need to build you levels on a measured grid using very strict standards. Play a lot of Super Ghouls and Ghosts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are 2 major styles of jumping to choose from. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Digital</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– If you jump and let go of holding a direction on the dpad or stick then the character stops on a dime and drops down without any inertia. This is really precise and feels gamey.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Velocity Based</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– This jump retains inertia in the air. If you jump while moving and let go of holding a direction on the dpad or stick then the character will continue moving without slowing down. Players will have to compensate against the inertia to slow their movement. I personally prefer this method as it gives the character a sense of weight. (play 2D Mario games for an example)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jumps can be fixed so they always jump a consistent height or they can be controlled so that the longer you hold the button the higher the character jumps. I personally prefer the second method since it gives you the ability to add more variety to levels in regards to jumping.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jumping also can have forgiveness systems such as:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Ledge grab</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– allow players to catch a ledge when impacting just below the edge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Wall jump</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– allow players to recover when hitting a wall just below an edge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Allowing late jump</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– allowing a short window of time where players can press jump and get a jump even if they barely ran off a ledge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Edge assistance</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– Bump players up onto a platform they barely miss if they haven’t fallen below the edge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Sliding up</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– allow players to wall skate up in order to slide up and over the edge of a platform if they hit the wall just below the edge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Run Modifier</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"> – Running isn’t required to make a great side scrolling platformer but it gives players a more layered experience. Allowing players the ability to increase their speed through the use of a run button or a mechanic is a major foundational element to some of the best platformers of all time. This allows the game to be played in 2 completely different ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Players can play the game in a controlled, easy and consistent manner by just moving through a level by default. If a player can chose to increase their speed then you allow them to enter a “risk vs. reward” scenario. They can jump farther and move faster but the cost is that they will have less time to react to obstacles and enemies as they come on screen. This means there is an increase in adrenaline when you play by moving faster. This speed increase provides players the ability to feel a greater sense of accomplishment when “flowing” through the level at high speed. This will also make it easier to implement a time attack mode since there will be a greater range of times between players who run and those who proceed with caution.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Collision </span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– A platforming game is only as good as the character, enemy and world collision and the interactions that contact provides.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Level collision should be very clean and precise. The art should match the collision as much as possible since this is what players see. Build your game around standards.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Players don’t like to hit their head while jumping unless there is a reason to do so. Don’t build low hanging areas that players will jump into unless you have a mechanic that uses this. It’s frustrating to miss a jump because you bumped into some collision hanging down over a ledge you were trying to jump to. Especially if it’s because the developer thought it looked better and not because there is a gameplay reason.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walls and the edges of platforms should be totally flat so that if players jump into them while grinding into them then they can slide up them without hitting their head on some lip or overhang.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You always want to know when you are going to fall off of a ledge so try not to round edges or get crazy with the art. This goes hand in hand with the representation of the playable character. The characters art should match the collision as closely as possible so that players know exactly when they will fall when approaching and edge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enemy collision can make or break your experience. If you are coming down on an enemy that you can “BOP” then you should get the “BOP”. If you are getting hit by the enemy when it looks like you should be hitting them then you need to fix the problem by implementing the damage or bounce state differently.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Interacting with enemies should feel consistent and predictable so don’t move their collision around erratically or animate them outside of their collision bounds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those are the foundational elements that I believe need to be right. Particle effects, Sound, Animation, Graphics and the way things sort with one another are all incredibly important too. If you do anything poorly then the game can suffer so just remember that there might be more to fix when addressing a problem with the feel of the game.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Development Tips<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now that we’ve covered the foundational elements I wanted to just list out a few other helpful tips that don’t get into as much detail. If you have any questions about the meaning of any of these or need clarification then email me or leave a comment and I will try a give you a response if I can. These are all my personal opinions and philosophies so don’t worry if you don’t agree. I’m just trying to provide guidance if you don’t feel you know what is right or wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Use Measured Jump Distances</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– Don’t require maximum jump height or distance on any jump unless it is a jump to an alt route or secret. You should always give a bit of buffer room in case players jump early or late so that they still land comfortably. If they are jumping up onto a ledge then they should come down onto it and not just barely slide onto the top from below. This way they feel that they came down and connected with the platform after a successful jump.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">If it is awkward then fix it </span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– If you make an interaction or a level sequence that feels awkward then you should probably remove it and replace it with something that feels better. This can be things like bumping a player before a jump or having them land in a weird location. Play the game as if you are making mistakes and see where you’ll end up. Taking the awkward moments out of your game makes the game feel more polished and can be the difference between an ok game and a fantastic one. It doesn’t take much to make people feel bad about the experience. It’s ok to reword and redo something until it is right.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Names Matter - </span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">What you call something when it is being created defines it. A level called generic level 01 has less potential to be good than one with a name like Laughing Bouncers. Words have power and they define things. When you hear words describing something they will inspire people to do more.</span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Take the Easy Path</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– There are things that are easy to do and there are things that are hard to do. </span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">If something is hard to do then it will take lots of time and generally be more difficult to change or tweak. There is a good chance you can do something easy that gets you similar if not superior results. Plus you can see the results more quickly and refine/polish it with the extra time you have.</span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Give it Character</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"> - Everything you create is an opportunity to have character.</span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"> A round creature is more interesting to bounce on than an object more often than not. It doesn’t have to be alive to have character but you want it to be memorable. </span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Make it Memorable</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">- </span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Every level should be remembered and <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">defined by a “single” thing</span> that stands out. This could be a gimmick type or a moment. If too many ideas are used then you won’t remember any of them. </span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">You’ve got to keep em' Separated</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">- </span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Background separation is important. You should never be confused about what a playable area is and what background elements are. If you can’t interact with it then it should be a different color or brightness than what you can. If people try to jump onto background elements thinking they are playable area then you have failed and you should fix the problem.</span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Landmarks</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">- </span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Sometimes a really slow moving landmark in the background is more memorable than lots of different elements. Take Rygar for example. The most memorable level element in the game is sun right in the middle of the screen at all times. One large ball of light stands out in your memory more than any of the other background details. It probably took less effort than other levels too.</span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Good Ideas</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">- </span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">a good idea can be reused multiple times. A bad idea makes you struggle thinking how to use it more than once and work hard trying to implement it in the first place.</span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Out of Sync</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– Sometimes having elements (level obstacles) that are timed differently and feel out of sync with each other make for more interesting gameplay sequences. Imagine you have 3 pillars bobbing up and down. Even if they are all moving the exact same heights you can change their timings to spice them up. A good example would be having one completing its movement in 3 seconds, the next completing its movement in 9 seconds and the last one completing its movement in 6 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Memorable Repetition – </span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Sometimes doing the same thing over and over and over again can be memorable so long as it doesn’t happen all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Breaking Patterns –</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">A great technique for making a memorable sequence is to establish a gameplay pattern and then break it when players begin to predict and expect it. (little little big, little little big, medium big big big little)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Everything Matters –</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">don’t ever use filler content. Every screen is an opportunity to do something new. If you have a section of the level without anything interesting then put a secret cubby there with hidden pickups. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Secrets –</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Use secret cubbies to hide things often and in obvious places. If you see people accidentally bumping a wall when they play a level then put something they will find there. You can set up situations to attract people’s attention.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Split Paths</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– If you have 2 different routes in a level make sure that the player can see both at all times. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>It often sucks to play a level that branches where you lose sight of your other choice. Some people will be bothered and really want to go back and see what they missed. This takes them out of the moment and disrupts the flow of the level. If they can see both paths at the same time then they will be able to see if they missed something of interest and aren’t forced to worry or stress about it. They can choose to overlook it or move on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Motion Matters</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– Moving things are more memorable than static things. You can create all kinds of interesting configurations to play on using different movement patterns and shapes. Try to keep things consistent and understandable in a level. You want players to get into a rhythm of understanding. Using too many different configurations of motion can end up being a random mess.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Iconic </span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– Everything you make in your game can be memorable and recognizable. If you put any item, enemy, object, level detail or character from your game on a shirt would it be appealing? Could you tell which game it came from immediately? </span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Does it surprise you? Does it have personality? Do you remember it? Can you make it more interesting or funny?</span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Don’t Band-Aid –</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Super Mario Bros. was a good game with run, jump, and fireballs alone. If you feel the need to create something completely new then look at your core mechanics and see what could be improved. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Interesting Pickups</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– You can use pickups such as coins, rings, bananas, etc. in order to make levels more interesting and keep players occupied. Collecting these pickups should have a reason and provide a benefit to the player. If you give them too many too often then they aren’t valuable. If you give them too few then they are a frustration. You can use interesting configurations of moving pickups to make a level more memorable. Pickups can move up and down, move on a path, rotate, bounce, disappear, or any number of other things to differentiate one group from another. You’re pickups don’t always have to be static in place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Pickups as a Guide </span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– You can sometimes use pickups to guide players to play in a certain way but you don’t want to abuse this. If pickups always show the perfect route then you are basically playing the game for players instead of letting them use their own timing. You can guide players into secret locations or help them time a hard jump by using pickups.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Use a Definitive Idea</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– Try to pick an idea for a level and stick to it. </span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Jack and the Beanstalk is more memorable than Jack and the 12 beanstalks attached to 3 buildings, a tower and 2 busses moving over a river covered in oil and burning. (Even if the second version sounds more original to you!) People tend to forget levels that use too many different ideas. You want to be able to say “it’s the (insert a memorable word) level” when communicating with friends.</span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Use Other Senses –</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">a level element can use other player senses in order to be interesting. You can find interesting ways to use how players see something. You can mess with time, gravity, music or any other number of elements in order to make something cool and unique/<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Even Pacing isn’t always Good</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– If something stays the same difficulty the whole time then it’s not interesting. Mix up the difficulty to keep players interested and involved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Getting to the end is the reward and not the challenge</span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">- Difficulty should often ramp more like this: Easier, Hard, Medium. There should always be some element that has a bit of challenge otherwise players might not feel connected. Ease them into the unique mechanics of the level. Challenge them in the middle giving them a hard situation to deal with and then ease off and let them show off a bit towards the end.</span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">Restrictions Create Gameplay </span></b><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;">– Often times preventing a player from doing a specific action can allow you to create new gameplay sequences. For Example: Placing spikes on a low hanging ceiling will kill players if they press jump. This means that you can now force players to deal with a unique situation only using their movement. This means you can mix up the gameplay from the standard style and provide interesting challenges that require more specific movements.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know there are going to be certain games and certain situations where these tips won’t apply or aren’t going to work. These are just a few of the things I try to think about when making platformers. You are the only person who will know what is best for your game. Let me know if you have found this interesting or useful and feel free to ask questions if you’d like any more information.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love platformers and could talk about design philosophies related to them for hours. I have plenty more to add to this but it’s already long enough. I personally find it easier to talk about these elements than to write them down so I may end up recording something with friends later. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks for reading.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-80555516570581523442013-02-01T23:04:00.001-08:002013-02-01T23:04:26.051-08:00Platformer Mock Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was a mockup I did&nbsp;in about 2 hours. The tiles are all eyeballed&nbsp;sizes but they get the idea across. I like the ideas enough to maybe mess with them more later. I might try and color this or redo it using actual tiles.﻿</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjHu2H0qfKk/UQy5KqH0WlI/AAAAAAAAAKY/p8yom1WL3P4/s1600/Platformer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjHu2H0qfKk/UQy5KqH0WlI/AAAAAAAAAKY/p8yom1WL3P4/s1600/Platformer.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-88238668984811606292013-01-26T17:31:00.002-08:002013-01-26T17:31:56.658-08:00Just For FunFrom the end of a night spent sketching with friends. Good Times!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2U2kSJ4efrE/UQSDIvxA4HI/AAAAAAAAAKE/dYyx2mzwxm4/s1600/ItsNotWhatYouThunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2U2kSJ4efrE/UQSDIvxA4HI/AAAAAAAAAKE/dYyx2mzwxm4/s1600/ItsNotWhatYouThunk.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-39502307539186108412013-01-20T00:15:00.002-08:002013-01-20T21:22:38.531-08:00Older Digital Creatures/CharactersHere are a few creatures/characters I did&nbsp;between&nbsp;8-12ish years ago. I feel I've&nbsp;gotten alot better over the years but I still wanted to put these up before getting my new art posted.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EF7jIKU0KAc/UPumqxCN5PI/AAAAAAAAAI8/hVXSSnhCRWc/s1600/MothCreep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EF7jIKU0KAc/UPumqxCN5PI/AAAAAAAAAI8/hVXSSnhCRWc/s1600/MothCreep.jpg" height="357" width="400" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Nt7cta6MqA/UPumrpsX3_I/AAAAAAAAAJI/I0K8aRfIdmg/s1600/golumcolo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Nt7cta6MqA/UPumrpsX3_I/AAAAAAAAAJI/I0K8aRfIdmg/s1600/golumcolo.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c2dJ3rFP5n8/UPumsNa5A4I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/iDw3u0LH7LU/s1600/motion+reference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c2dJ3rFP5n8/UPumsNa5A4I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/iDw3u0LH7LU/s1600/motion+reference.jpg" height="400" width="331" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7dcqhFoUJmk/UPumqNqsoUI/AAAAAAAAAIk/H4N68tudUak/s1600/Alien4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7dcqhFoUJmk/UPumqNqsoUI/AAAAAAAAAIk/H4N68tudUak/s1600/Alien4.jpg" height="370" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uzraVSF2zNQ/UPumqEkumqI/AAAAAAAAAIo/BjKLao-3vUY/s1600/ALLSTUFF2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uzraVSF2zNQ/UPumqEkumqI/AAAAAAAAAIo/BjKLao-3vUY/s1600/ALLSTUFF2.jpg" height="321" width="400" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P21OauFbfMA/UPumrhWkHKI/AAAAAAAAAJM/_dldDSBJU58/s1600/deepeyeF2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P21OauFbfMA/UPumrhWkHKI/AAAAAAAAAJM/_dldDSBJU58/s1600/deepeyeF2.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRdLbW2ixJg/UPumqxPywWI/AAAAAAAAAI0/EK2RD2NLDW8/s1600/Greaver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRdLbW2ixJg/UPumqxPywWI/AAAAAAAAAI0/EK2RD2NLDW8/s1600/Greaver.jpg" height="323" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-223VJPIKGyk/UPumr74ZWbI/AAAAAAAAAJU/WjfLBXfH63c/s1600/golumtest2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-223VJPIKGyk/UPumr74ZWbI/AAAAAAAAAJU/WjfLBXfH63c/s1600/golumtest2.jpg" height="400" width="387" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFCVPOWaep4/UPumrfIoiJI/AAAAAAAAAJE/R6uigsqs4jE/s1600/Wildling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFCVPOWaep4/UPumrfIoiJI/AAAAAAAAAJE/R6uigsqs4jE/s1600/Wildling.jpg" height="400" width="326" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-72134125155728096452013-01-16T00:47:00.000-08:002013-01-16T00:59:51.895-08:00Guide to Making Metroidvania Style Games: Part 2ish!<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">I felt it was neccesary to include this next section before finalizing all of the components of Part 2. Here is a helpful guide to use when planning individual level layouts. I'll complete the rest of this blog post anothetr time.</span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Core Interaction Loop Walkthrough<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vK9WuDCACLI/UPZJlYLVL4I/AAAAAAAAAIA/1Kp3Ite5ios/s1600/MetroidVaniaLayoutE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vK9WuDCACLI/UPZJlYLVL4I/AAAAAAAAAIA/1Kp3Ite5ios/s1600/MetroidVaniaLayoutE1.jpg" height="192" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This image is an example of how to lay out a level for a Metroidvania style game. The glossary should explain what the symbols on the map represent. This layout could be for a side-scroller, an overhead view or even a fully 3D game. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The scales and shapes of the rooms are meaningless. They can be whatever size works best for them once you start building. This just helps you orient yourself when mentally walking through the game in the planning stages and helps you remember where you need to put things. For the purposes of this example I’ve made the layout mostly linear. Now to walk through the design philosophies used to create this layout.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Players enter this world where you see the start label.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The standard entries are doors which players can open with the abilities they have at this point. They are labeled as green.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If your game will include save points rather than a save anywhere system then you might want to have one at the beginning of the world so that there is minimal back tracking if players die.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Room A1 is the players introduction to this world. This is the first thing players see that shows off the world theme. The room should be impressive and introduce some new element to catch the players attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Exploration in Room A1 may reward players by allowing them to find a secret. This can be important or trivial based on what you have to offer players.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Players exit A1 and go through a transition area before reaching A2. Transition areas can be used for variety, allowing players to get a break from action or even to mask loading if your engine requires.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A2 is a room that only needs to serve one purpose. This room needs to ensure that players will immediately see an area that requires the use of an ability they don’t have yet. This is a blocker preventing the player from progressing. I’ve labeled it here in red. This room funnels the player so they are forced to see this blocker and it needs to stand out. It needs to be framed in such a way that it imprints in the players memory. It is the only important, attention grabbing part of this room. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(In order to make this blocker stand out you have a few tools at your disposal. You can use lighting in order to highlight the area. You can place a memorable landmark such as a statue or a symbol here in order to make it stand out. You can also shape your room in such a way where this location opens up. Do whatever needs to be done to foreshadow the point leading into the area the player can’t quite get to yet.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After seeing the blocker in A2 players are routed back towards the only available new exit. They can see another blocker on the way here but this one shouldn’t be emphasized. (You will understand why this second blocker is placed like this later)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Players eventually make their way into A3. This could potentially be a puzzle or exploration based area. Players can solve the puzzle in the obvious way in order to gain access to A4. If players are cleverer then they can find out how to get into Optional B1. This route is not required but you should make B1 worthwhile by hiding a secret there.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eventually players will be routed through A4. This could be a combat heavy room or area which is where the meat of the encounters should take place. It still shouldn’t be too difficult because you don’t want players to die right before a save.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">11.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The save point follows this encounter room if you are crafting the save locations. This way if players die in the next room or in a boss encounter they don’t have far to go in order to try again. You don’t want to put the saves too close to a boss room because then it can become too predictable when a boss encounter is going to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">12.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Last area before the Boss is A5. In this layout this room serves two purposes. The first is to tease an even more distant future ability which will give players the motivation to return to this world after obtaining it later in the game. The second is to provide a slight challenge before facing the Boss. This also allows players a chance to refill any ammo or resources by farming them right before the boss. (There is a secret hidden in the room that players can’t reach yet. This is here to leave you a way to incorporate something you haven’t planned. This secret could be a power up, an expansion or even a route back into this level from another world.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">13.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You’ll notice that there is a One Way Entry indicator on the door leading into the ABoss room. This One Way Entry can be as simple as the door locking behind you or it could be more complex like being forced to drop down into an arena. The point is you don’t want players getting back the way they came.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">14.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If your game includes Bosses then this is the place where you would want to place the encounter. If you aren’t going to include bosses then just treat this as an area dedicated to obtaining a new ability. Once you defeat the boss here then you get the framed reveal of the “Special Thing You Want”<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">15.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The New Ability should be enticing to players. It should be located in a place where it feels intentional and special.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">16.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once the player obtains the new ability then they must use this new ability to exit the room. This is how you enforce that a player learns what a new ability does. Most often you don’t even need a tutorial because they can’t fail here. They have to use the ability to move on past the barrier which is labeled in Red. It should be obvious to players.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">17.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once players have used the ability in order to get past the barrier then they are required to use it again in the next transition area. At this point you have just reminded them of what the new ability does. Here is where the magic happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">18.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The exit they just came out of by using their special new ability just created a shortcut to exactly where they needed to go next. It even points them in the right direction. They have now entered back into A2 directly facing the most memorable landmark in the level. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">19.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Players went through a long level sequence in order to gain a new ability and they didn’t have to walk back through the level they just fought through. (This is an important part of the polish in a crafted Metroidvania flow) The levels should be built to reveal shortcuts upon gaining new abilities. This doesn’t just happen by accident. You have to intend it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">20.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Players then use their new ability to get past the special attention grabbing barrier and they are rewarded by getting into the next area. They used a new ability 3 times in a row. Players will now be more inclined to remember they have this new ability even if they don't use it again for a while.</span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the basic philosophy you can use for crafting your levels. You never want to repeat the same things so you’ll have to get more and more creative when it comes to differentiating your layouts. Next up I will show you how to connect your world layouts so they merge together to make traversal convenient and empowering as the game progresses. You will want to include back tracking but you always want the back tracking to have a purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To Be Continued…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-32923313727010000372013-01-15T22:43:00.001-08:002013-01-16T00:47:31.312-08:00Guide to Making Metroidvania Style Games: Part 1<b style="font-family: Calibri;">BEFORE WE GET STARTED</b><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Metroidvania</b>: A style of game (2D or 3D) which often features exploration based gameplay where a player controlled character gains new abilities that allow them to progress. These games are often action adventure titles with re-traversal elements. They include a growth system that unlocks meaningful upgrades that are required for game completion. The name Metroidvania comes from mixing Metroid and Castlevania though there are other games which use the same foundational design philosophies. These titles include all of the Zelda games, Shadow Complex and Cave Story. There is really no significant difference in game structure between a Zelda game and a Metroid or SotN style Castlevania.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">The following series is intended for game makers who would like to take on the difficult task of creating a game within the Metroidvania genre. If you have never made a game before and are looking here for advice on how to make games I suggest you first get your feet wet by jumping into a tool such as Unity, Unreal Engine, Construct 2 or any other assortment game construction tools. You’ll need to know how to make games beforehand as I’m not going to teach you how to make games from scratch. </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">If you are still reading then I expect you already have the skillset required for game development and are looking for insight towards planning a game in the Metroidvania genre. This is going to be a multi-part series so if you don’t find what you are looking for right now I will probably get to it in the one of the next few parts.<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">METROIDVANIA 101<o:p></o:p></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Planning a Metroidvania game can be a daunting task and there are a lot of pitfalls you can run into if you don’t plan correctly before starting development. The reason you don’t see a lot of Metroidvania style titles is that they don’t typically work if you are using a linear development model. A good Metroidvania game requires the developer to understand how all abilities and tools function before getting started making levels. (Note: You can still make a Metroidvania game without having all abilities implemented beforehand but it makes it highly likely you will be more limited in what you can do later without massive amounts of rework.) Not only do you want to have all of your player earnable abilities implemented, but you’ll also want to set up a string of test levels which simulate your progression and growth through the game (I will cover this in more detail later).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">These are my personal philosophies and thoughts on Metroidvania development so don’t take this as a rigid planning model. Only you will know what you need to do and how to do it best so look at this as a guide and not law. Some of the most innovative decisions you can make require you to break the rules from time to time. The design strategies discussed here work for 2D or 3D games and any assortment of camera styles (side scrolling, overhead, first person, etc…). <o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS PLANNING<o:p></o:p></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Before you start building levels you need to build the foundation of your game. <o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Define the premise of your game is and what makes it unique. <o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Is it 2D or 3D?</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>How does the camera work? (Is it a side-scroller, overhead, player controlled, first person, third person, spline based, scripted, static, etc.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>What does the player control? (A character, a vehicle, an object, etc.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">d.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>What style is the game? (sci-fi, fantasy, realistic, cartoony, exaggerated, unique)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">e.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>What defines the game and makes it stand out to players? (mechanics, premise, look, story, characters)(you either want to do something unique and memorable or do something someone else has done better than they did it)<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Define the base player package properties. (What can the character do before acquiring any new abilities?)<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>How does the character move? (Fly, walk, roll, slide, etc.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>What does the character do to interact with the world? (Jump, shoot, slash, grab, kiss, fart, etc.)(The interactions in the game should support the premise and these standard interactions will define the character of the game. The can be original or derivative.)<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Define what abilities, weapons, tools, equipment that the character will obtain throughout the course of the game. These abilities can improve prior traits, they can stack on top of existing abilities, they can be equipped, and they can have limitations such as ammo. Most of all you want to define what differentiates each ability from others.<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>How many unique ways can the character movement abilities upgrade? (Does it jump higher, fly, boost, run, crawl, roll, slide, swing, spin, swim, etc?) (All movement properties require limitations and unique mechanics. You don’t want one to invalidate all others.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>How many unique ways can the character transform? (Does it change shape, become another character, alter its state, etc.)(Transformations can completely change a characters movement properties, collision and vulnerabilities.)(All transformations require limitations and unique mechanics. You don’t want one to invalidate all others.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>How many unique ways can the character interactions grow? (Weapons, projectiles, magic, elemental damage types, contact, special abilities, etc.)(All interactions require limitations and unique mechanics. You don’t want one to invalidate all others.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">d.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>If the character uses projectiles then how many different ways can they move? (do they arc, fly straight, dissipate over time, fire rapidly, come out from off screen, zigzag, bounce, reflect, stop things, blow up, etc.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">e.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>How many unique ways does the character see the world and how do enemies see the character? (Visors, Visibility Options, Invisibility, Lights, Dimensions, Secrets, etc.) (All visibility options require limitations and unique mechanics. You don’t want one to invalidate all others.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">f.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>How many unique hazards are in the game and can the player earn something that prevents them from being damaged by these hazards? (Suits, Charms, Armor, Forms, Hats, etc.)(To prevent or reduce damage from hazards such as Fire, Lava, Water, Enemies, Electricity, Space, etc.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">g.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>How many special world altering abilities can the character gain or use? (Stop time, change gravity, teleport, fast travel, activate, etc.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">h.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Does the player have health or require fuel and ammunition that can expand or increase over time? (How much do players start with and how much is the maximum capacity they can carry?)<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">Remember that abilities, tools and equipment can be implemented in different ways. They can be active, requiring the player to press a button or do a command to use. They can be passive, automatically doing what they need to when they need to. They can be equipped and unequipped by player choice. They can have limitations that prevent them from being used repeatedly or in certain areas. They can be used to interact with the environment, enemies or obstacles. They can have limited quantities or be one time use events.<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION<o:p></o:p></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Now that you’ve conceptually planned what you want to do with the main character and how they can grow it’s time to begin. Remember that a great Metroidvania game has nuances to how all of the mechanics work. The best mechanics are versatile with multiple uses. They create new gameplay opportunities and include limitations so that they can be implemented in configurations that create challenging moments for the player. This is the failing point for most attempts at making a Metroidvania game. The abilities you gain should all be unique and rewarding with detailed and polished mechanics. Now it’s time to create.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">You should have a list compiled of the abilities you want to include that might look something like the one below.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Example Abilities List</b> – I’m using simple and generic abilities in this example. Your list should hopefully be more creative and unique.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Default Abilities</b> – Slash, Jump, Walk</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ability Upgrades</b> – High Jump, Fire Projectile, Cat Transformation, Poison Suit, Night Vision, Reverse Gravity, Ice Slash, Run</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The quantity of abilities that players can unlock is up to you. You can create as few or as many as you think you need to make your game. The list at this point is not ordered.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ability Standards</b>– you will need to have level construction standards that show the ranges your abilities can reach when used. This will help with level design and tuning. (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Example:</b> Default Jump Max Height: 2 Meters - High Jump Max Height: 5 Meters)(Illustrations and diagrams help with planning)<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>First build a proxy of the main character and setup the characters base movement properties. (you don’t need art or animations, all you need is a box to represent the collision) Make a small test level that is a reasonable approximation of a real play space in order to get the feel right. It doesn’t have to look good, but you’ll want it to “feel” good even if it’s ugly. (Build on a grid – don’t eyeball your measurements.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Next you’ll want to implement all abilities that alter the way the character can move in the world. This is the most important part to finish as it will define all of the limitations and restrictions you will have in how you construct levels and what they will include.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Once all of your movement altering abilities are implemented and tuned so that they can work well with each other you can start blocking out a simple string of levels or rooms.<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;">(At this point there doesn’t have to be any representation of enemy interaction but it would still be beneficial to start work on character interaction abilities. They will be used for interacting with the world as well)<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PROGRESSION TESTING SEQUENCE<o:p></o:p></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">You have your mechanics implemented, so now you need to block out an expanded test environment to figure out a few things. You want to build your level assets so that they have standardized entry ways. (Use uniform sizes and build on a grid) This way you can move your level assets around and change the order in which they can be strung together.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The progression testing sequence is going to be a collection of rooms strung together one after another. This sequence will be used to figure out which abilities players will unlock and in what order. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Each room should accomplish the following goals.<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Allow players to enter the room and see a graphical representation of the ability they are going to unlock.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Force players into a one way situation where they have no other option than to collect the item.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Allow players to touch the item in order to acquire the new ability.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Force players into a situation where they are required to use the ability in order to exit the room.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Allow players to exit this room only after using the ability in order to enter the next room.<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w4uEC-H_M3M/UPZJlC51XVI/AAAAAAAAAH8/9-MWgSNmi3o/s1600/ExampleHJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w4uEC-H_M3M/UPZJlC51XVI/AAAAAAAAAH8/9-MWgSNmi3o/s1600/ExampleHJ.jpg" height="248" width="400" /></a></div>These rooms should be self-contained experiences. They shouldn’t be large rooms and they don’t need to look good. All of the information players need should be provided immediately in view in the default camera. This should represent the most generic use of the ability a player has just earned. The room and situation should be clear and easy to understand. The only thing in the room that needs to be fun is the very small section which requires the use of the new ability. (DO NOT TRY TO MAKE THE LAYOUT INTERESTING OR COMPLEX AT THIS POINT! This could cloud your judgment and distract you from your goals at the phase of development.)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Once you have blocked in all of the rooms which include all of the unlockable abilities, try to string them together in the order which you think you would enjoy earning them. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-56_pC5K7iu8/UPZJkyHs7MI/AAAAAAAAAH0/pxvgvPIQ4LE/s1600/LevelTest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-56_pC5K7iu8/UPZJkyHs7MI/AAAAAAAAAH0/pxvgvPIQ4LE/s1600/LevelTest.jpg" height="53" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TESTING THE SEQUENCE<o:p></o:p></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Now that you can test the sequence you will begin to see what the game can be like in compressed form. (You get a taste for the feel of the character at any given point in their growth sequence based on when you collect abilities.)<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Could a player complete the entire sequence and get all abilities?</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Did the order that the player earned the new abilities feel correct? Did anything stand out as out of order?</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Where you able to prevent the player from progressing without acquiring the new ability?</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Did the ability feel good when you used it in the room you created?</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Did players get confused about how to use the ability or where to use the ability in the sequence?</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Were players able to get turned around or progress through the sequence incorrectly?<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">As you answer the questions above start thinking about how to improve anything that needs improvement. If players are getting the cooler abilities too soon then try to rearrange the rooms and the orders in which they acquire them. If players are breaking the progression then try to fix the example or tune the mechanics to allow for a limitation. If players are confused then try to fix the room or the mechanics of the ability. If anything feels wrong or awkward then either fix it or replace it. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">At this point it’s ok to fail with an idea because you haven’t started building the game yet. You need to get it right. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">If everything functions and you can progress through the whole sequence of levels without a problem then you can move forward. If everything feels good and you are happy with the order of progression using the movement based abilities then it’s time to work on interaction abilities. Make sure you can activate any ability at any time using debug options. This will save you a lot of time.<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WORLD, OBJECT AND ENEMY INTERACTION TESTING<o:p></o:p></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Now that you know all of the ways the character can move it’s time to figure out the enemy and object interactions. Create another simple test environment to figure out your world and object interactions.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">You will probably want to have:</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Doors</b>– These will separate your areas and are a great way to block off areas until the player has earned the right ability or item. (Special weapon, key, suit, items, etc. are required to unlock.) Create all door types in your test environment! Try to use a single standard door size with different looks that represent what the player should use in order to open them. Remember doors can:<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Open and Shut repeatedly</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Lock behind the player to force them to deal with a situation</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Unlock based on a puzzle or defeating an enemy.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Require an ability, weapon or key to unlock.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Be used to mask loading or help with area transitions.<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Destructibles </b>– These are objects that can break, dissolve or disappear in order to allow players to progress or find hidden items.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Obstacles </b>– These are things that can damage the player. You might be able to bypass them by using unlocked abilities. Each should serve a purpose and be tuned to be overcome with ease once the player has acquired the right tool.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Devices/Moving Objects </b>– These are things that require the use of certain abilities in order to activate them. They will move the player from one point to another and should be required to be used in order for the player to reach a new location. (Zip lines, elevators, moving platforms, gears, pistons, power sources, etc.)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Remember that some of these things can and should be utilized before unlocking new abilities. Others should require abilities to use. Each ability the player has should have at least one interactive element that works well with it. (Or requires an ability to use it)<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ENEMIES<o:p></o:p></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Each enemy needs to be fun to engage with whatever default interactions the character has available. They can be hard to deal with but they should still be manageable. You should plan enough enemies to have at least one enemy, per ability, that is vulnerable to that ability or weapon. You should also have enemies that are fun to fight even when you have a maxed out character. It’s up to you to figure out what enemies work best for your game and the levels you include.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The enemies are there to reinforce the great feeling of character growth. They are an important part of the equation.<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FINISH THE ABILITY TESTING SEQUENCE<o:p></o:p></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Once you’ve completed at least one door type or obstacle that requires a new character interaction to bypass you can finalize the ability testing sequence.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">You can now create new test rooms where players can unlock or earn abilities which allow them to interact with the world. You will add these rooms into the original test sequence you created. The goal is to fill in all of the doors and pace your interaction unlocks with your movement modifiers so that they go together nicely.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Most people will evenly place interactions (new weapon or attack) between movement upgrades so that the pacing is even. You might not want even pacing because a perfectly paced game is predictable. People can get bored with predictable.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Use your best judgment when pacing out where all of the abilities are located in the test sequence. At the end you should have a micro version of the entire game you will make. You should be able to enter each room, one after another, and unlock abilities which allow you to progress forward and unlock the door to the next room. There should be one room per obtainable ability with only one required interaction in order to progress. From here you will figure out the exact order that players should be required to earn abilities in order to progress on the critical path to completion.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0kkvbRkgvhk/UPZJlFjqEhI/AAAAAAAAAH4/V7rTMMDWyT8/s1600/FinishedSequence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0kkvbRkgvhk/UPZJlFjqEhI/AAAAAAAAAH4/V7rTMMDWyT8/s1600/FinishedSequence.jpg" height="98" width="400" /></a></div>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Don’t worry about sequence breaking with these test levels. If you did your job correctly with the layout then shouldn’t be possible. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">At this point you will know how the game plays and what the abilities do. You will know that you can prevent progress until a player earns and ability, item or weapon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>You should also know when you will unlock each ability and you will have a good feeling about that order. You will have an assortment of interactions and enemies to get you started. Your game is only as good as your mechanics and if the character doesn’t feel fun to control at this point then you need to work at it until it does.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">You should now have a list which includes all finalized abilities and what order the player is intended to unlock them in order to progress through the game. Your finished progression list might look like this:<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Run</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>High Jump</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Fire Projectile</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Poison Suit</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Cat Transform</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Ice Slash</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Night Vision</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>Reverse Gravity<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Up Next Level and World Planning!<o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2!<o:p></o:p></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">(PART 2 will discuss how to plan your levels and world layouts! I will also discuss best practices when laying out a world so that you get the most out of the abilities the player unlocks. These will include the tricks that separate the good games from the bad. The most important part of a Metroidvania games levels is the core interaction loop.)<br /><br />Here is a preview of the core interaction loop&nbsp;layout I will walk you through in part 2. Thanks.</div></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vK9WuDCACLI/UPZJlYLVL4I/AAAAAAAAAIA/1Kp3Ite5ios/s1600/MetroidVaniaLayoutE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vK9WuDCACLI/UPZJlYLVL4I/AAAAAAAAAIA/1Kp3Ite5ios/s1600/MetroidVaniaLayoutE1.jpg" height="192" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-39210725520263143272013-01-12T22:30:00.000-08:002013-01-12T22:30:11.637-08:00Creatures: Part 2Here is another collection of creatures. I decided not to update the older post as it wouldn't sort as new. These are all from the same sketchpad. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDH_FEJOSRk/UPJUAndhqXI/AAAAAAAAAG8/zXFCFxN-lvE/s1600/CreaturesSeries04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDH_FEJOSRk/UPJUAndhqXI/AAAAAAAAAG8/zXFCFxN-lvE/s1600/CreaturesSeries04.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5DdnthzHTaE/UPJUA_h136I/AAAAAAAAAHA/vOkgjFREsMg/s1600/CreaturesSeries03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5DdnthzHTaE/UPJUA_h136I/AAAAAAAAAHA/vOkgjFREsMg/s1600/CreaturesSeries03.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bm4rDnii8tk/UPJUAuv9aMI/AAAAAAAAAHE/KsMjNaZkwsU/s1600/CreaturesSeries02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bm4rDnii8tk/UPJUAuv9aMI/AAAAAAAAAHE/KsMjNaZkwsU/s1600/CreaturesSeries02.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BX-1Enu7svA/UPJUBQo6e9I/AAAAAAAAAHI/7xocoGmBogA/s1600/CreaturesSeries05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BX-1Enu7svA/UPJUBQo6e9I/AAAAAAAAAHI/7xocoGmBogA/s1600/CreaturesSeries05.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mRc9mbSiBks/UOh2KP-nFaI/AAAAAAAAAGU/zKIwxyI9tNE/s1600/CreaturesSeries01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mRc9mbSiBks/UOh2KP-nFaI/AAAAAAAAAGU/zKIwxyI9tNE/s1600/CreaturesSeries01.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-40787039940950416402013-01-07T22:12:00.001-08:002013-01-07T23:57:00.106-08:00Imaginary Worlds<br />It's fun to create little imaginary worlds that set up everything you need to know in a single image. Before getting started trying to think up new ideas for a game, cartoon or story try sketching up some random assortment of areas and characters. It doesn't matter if it's drawn well or not. Just finish something so you have somewhere to start then make up some stories and details about what you could do with it all. It's a fun little exercise that doesn't take much time and can inspire newer better things from there. <o:p></o:p><br /> <br />This is from about a year ago. I put together this idea with about 2 hours of sketching. It is made up of two separate images that I thought would be interesting to combine. I like some bits more than others but I think I can do something better using some of these ideas. :)<o:p></o:p><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kD0ScoJ6S2Q/UOu4cM7xBJI/AAAAAAAAAGs/GOX9xkWZNCE/s1600/WeirdWorld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kD0ScoJ6S2Q/UOu4cM7xBJI/AAAAAAAAAGs/GOX9xkWZNCE/s1600/WeirdWorld.jpg" height="640" width="498" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-41975045342662412652013-01-06T12:08:00.001-08:002013-04-07T07:27:23.262-07:00Appeal<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What do you find appealing in life? Not the things you want or the people you like. What captures your eye and your attention when you look at something? It’s funny how little most people think about that. <o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being human you are genetically hard coded to look for certain things. If you strip away all of the modern comforts you are accustomed to and start to think of what you would be like in the wild, then you can start to recognize how certain elements attract your attention. They draw your eye.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You know you need food to survive. You need shelter and safety from the dangers of the world. You’ll most likely think about reproduction or at least the comfort and support of connecting with others. There’s way more that you are genetically predisposed to think about but I don’t need to cover those. You can start to think about them on your own from here.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This isn’t actually a full discussion about those topics on a deeper level but they do relate to certain ideas about appeal. The next time you look at something like an image, a movie or a game see if you can recognize some of the elements I’m about to discuss. Also note that audio is just as important as vision when recognizing the appeal of something. I’ll skew some examples towards games since that’s probably why you’re here reading this. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When it comes time for you to create something new, be it an image, animation or background for a game then consider the following.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Edible Looking</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People find things that look edible captivating. If it looks like you would want to eat it then it’s appealing. This is why the idea of candy land is so attractive to children and adults. The levels in Mario Galaxy and Mario games in general look edible so you are drawn to them. Grass often curls over the edge like frosting on a cake. The levels often look like you can eat them. This means you don’t mind spending time there. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This also works for cars and paint jobs. Shiny candy coated paintjobs make cars and bikes look attractive. People watch clouds roll by. They watch ocean waves swell and water flow and descend. They observe grass and leaves blow in the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>You need water and plants to survive. These things comfort people. This leads into the appeal of…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ambient Motion</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You are attracted to ambient motion (smoke, wind, flowing cloth or water, fire, gears, pistons). Some of this is based on your survival instinct and other parts are based on rhythms. People find these things soothing but they are also instinctually looking at motion to recognize danger as well. Is something moving over there? Is it going to attack me?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your body is tied to rhythm and motion. Everyone’s heart beats and they are all forced to breathe over and over and over. The earth rotates and cycles occur over and over and over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>People find repetition, rotation, rhythm, and motion soothing. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Certain elements of lighting also create constant dynamic motion even if there aren’t any objects moving. Reflectivity, Shine, Specularity, God Rays and Lens flare all cause constant unique and dynamic motion when the camera is moving. This is generally more appealing than something dull and static.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Light and Darkness</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We need the light to survive. It’s how we see and the sun provides so much. People are attracted to light. People find things that shine and glow appealing. You’re drawn to light sources by the very nature of how you see the world. The eye is drawn from dark to light. If you are in a dark space you will look towards the light. The contrast is that if you are somewhere that is overwhelmingly bright then you will be attracted to shadow or darkness. This goes back to survival instinct too. The mind thinks about escape routes and hiding places. Can something attack me from that shadow? Is it a hole? Can I hide there if something attacks me? This leads into the appeal of…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Edges and Borders</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People find anything that assists in spacial awareness comforting. You want to know where the edges are. This is pleasing to the eye because it assists with people’s recognition of the extents of objects. Some of this is based on (cue repetition) survival instincts. You want to know where things can come from or where you can escape to. It’s also about preventing harm to your body. You want to know what’s sharp or where something is so that you don’t stub a toe scratch or cut your skin. You want shadow to creep into the recesses of a crack to show you it’s there and something else might be hiding in there too. The reasons don’t really matter. What matters is that humans find edges and borders more appealing when they are more clearly readable. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Look at doors, windows, crown molding, furniture and appliances. Attention is always spent framing something in a pleasing way. Look at the white borders surrounding text in a book. It frames the edges. You know it would look worse if the words ran right to the edge. Roads have curbs, street lights have bases, and almost everything includes some type of element that frames it or integrates it into the things they are attached to. Watches, TV’s, cabinets and speakers have borders. Often things that don’t have borders or frames have beveled or smoothed edges. This frames them by letting light bounce differently on the edge. Rim lighting is appealing. The way rocks or fences frame a garden/ yard matters. The way grass frames the base of a tree brings comfort and understanding. Your mind recognizes it even if you don’t think you care.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Things in nature do this automatically but man made things, when crafted well, take this into account. Look at your favorite games. You’ll start to see how they add frames and borders to the edges of objects and geometry. Even great pixel art takes this into account. Things created taking edges and borders into account most often look better than something that doesn’t have this care or craft. Sometimes this happens in the lighting with things like ambient occlusion. This helps integrate objects into the world around it. People find this appealing so if you aren’t doing this with the things you create then you are missing a very helpful tool. Create a blend where a rock intersects the ground. Put some grass there or even cut in a little crease to make it look like it’s eroded over time. It will look better.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Commonly Appealing</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The rest of these could take just as long to describe but they are easier for you to reason out why so I’ll skip the long winded explanations.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Color</b>– Color is meant to capture your attention. Vibrant colors signify Fruits, Flowers and Foods. They dazzle for mating rituals and they warn about Poisonous Creatures.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Exaggerated Scale </b>– Really large things command your attention. Towers, Trees, Mountains, Monuments and Mammoths all require your thought.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sexual and Phallic Imagery </b>– No explanation necessary. We are genetically driven to think about reproduction in order to continue as a species. Sex Sells.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Soft and Fuzzy </b>– Things that are fuzzy or soft looking are also appealing just because you are looking for comfort to protect you from the dangers outside. You are driven to find comfort to keep your body safe.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cute and Cuddly </b>– Big eyes and certain pleasing features trigger the protective parts of your brain so that you will be more inclined to raise your young and prolong the survival of the entire species.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Familiarity </b>– This is why advertising works so well. You’re mind finds comfort in things you understand and see often. This can be common things we all relate to or even symbols.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Surprising Moments </b>– Think about things like explosions, fireworks, volcanic eruptions, lighting and wild beasts springing out of nowhere to devour you. You’re mind imprints things that surprise you so that you can remember them for future protective measures. You cannot stop this and you get an adrenaline rush when it happens. This feels good for most people even if you think you don’t like it. It makes you feel alive. This is appealing.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Odds </b>– You’re mind tries to group things so when you see even numbers of things you automatically understand they are a pair. If you see one then it is interesting because it’s isolated and individual. If there are 3 elements then your mind tries to work through what the connections are. Are these two together or are these two? Which one is the odd one out? What are the relationships? This might seem silly but your mind still does this even if it’s Rocks, Trees or buildings.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Symmetry – </b>If you have random shapes or elements that don’t seem to look to look right then try adding some symmetry to it. Symmetry makes things look intentional and purposeful. Nature creates symmetry in creatures. We create symmetry in our creations. This makes them balanced and pleasing.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Meaning and Symbolism –</b> You mind tries to seek meaning so if you can provide it then you don’t need to explain it. It’s more fun for people to think they figured it out on their own.</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I could actually go on and on but I think you get the point. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">IN CONCLUSION</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next time you are looking at something you really like look for the elements we discussed. If you are creating things then keep this in mind. People are almost guaranteed to find certain things appealing so think about added them to the things you create to make them more interesting and dynamic.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Moving Things</b>– Clouds, Rivers, Waterfalls, Waves, Cloth, Wind, Grass, Leaves, Rain, Snow, Gears, Pistons, Fire, Smoke, Sparks and Living Creatures.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lights and Shadow </b>– Contrast, Light Rays, Lens flare, God Rays, Glows, Neon, Fireworks and Sparkles</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Edges </b>– Beveled Edges, Erosion, Borders, Blends, Frames, Integrators, Ambient Occlusion, Rim Lights, Overgrowth, Intentional Seams, Outlines, Spacing and Separators.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Edible Qualities</b> – Smooth, Colorful, Candy Coated, Chocolately and Clean.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shine </b>– Reflection, Gloss, Specularity, Wetness and Icy.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Surprise </b>– Fireworks, Lighting, Explosion, Eruptions or Shocking Elements.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Comfort – </b>Repetition, Symbols, Logos, Familiar Relatable Elements</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Landmarks – </b>Large Isolated Elements (Towers, Mountains, Bridges, Trees, Creatures, Castles, Bridges) Odd Clusters (3, 5 or 7 of the same components)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope you find some of this useful. At least it’s a nice refresher for some things you could consider common sense. I still need to edit this but I wanted to get it out earlier. Thanks for reading.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-332881013809307452013-01-05T10:55:00.000-08:002013-01-05T10:55:47.095-08:00Creatures!I've always had interest in drawing creatures, monsters, aliens and other random lifeforms. Here are a few from one of my sketchpads. I'm going to figure out a way to use them for something eventually. Here's the first set and I'll just keep updating this post as I scan the others.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mRc9mbSiBks/UOh2KP-nFaI/AAAAAAAAAGU/zKIwxyI9tNE/s1600/CreaturesSeries01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mRc9mbSiBks/UOh2KP-nFaI/AAAAAAAAAGU/zKIwxyI9tNE/s1600/CreaturesSeries01.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><span id="goog_1581944332"></span><span id="goog_1581944333"></span><br />Here's also a couple of characters I did 11-ish years ago while back at Iguana and Retro. I know it's old but I like some of the ideas and might revisit a few. I'll keep them down here as a reminder. :)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gQUSje1Jpsw/UOh2fBtvw-I/AAAAAAAAAGc/hjv-2jv_rKo/s1600/OldSketches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gQUSje1Jpsw/UOh2fBtvw-I/AAAAAAAAAGc/hjv-2jv_rKo/s1600/OldSketches.jpg" height="400" width="316" /></a></div><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-65128944477709896962012-12-30T23:13:00.000-08:002013-01-01T18:59:13.894-08:00The Ocean AboveI've been&nbsp;kinda interested&nbsp;in aquatic themes and characters recently. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iW9Q9oJOYfU/UOE5I0FHvrI/AAAAAAAAAGE/x1ONskS4g7U/s1600/OceanCastF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iW9Q9oJOYfU/UOE5I0FHvrI/AAAAAAAAAGE/x1ONskS4g7U/s1600/OceanCastF.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br />The Ocean Above is a story I've been messing around with about&nbsp;two great bodies of water. One is a vast and beautiful ocean which fills the sky as far as the eye can see. It floats above the dark and&nbsp;murkey waters below, suspended by a force called the great divide.<o:p></o:p><br /><br />The main character Finlo falls from his perfect life in the ocean above, landing in the contaminated depths below. He tries to find his way back but things turn out far more difficult than he could ever imagine.<br /><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-53040317295025912872012-12-22T18:08:00.001-08:002012-12-22T18:13:32.701-08:00Coming Soon?<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Coming Soon!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How writing down your intentions can sometimes help to motivate you and allow you to remember.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I thought it would be cool to list out some of the possible blog entries I’m thinking about for the future. This is more for me to just keep track of subjects I have interest in talking about. I might not get to all of them but they are all things I talk about with friends from time to time. Some of these might end up short as you can get a lot out of the titles but I’m looking forward to getting them down in writing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I won’t be discussing Halo 4 stuff or anything relating to 343Industries. There are more official sources for those subjects. This will just be some of my personal opinions and philosophies. Hopefully there will be something in here that might be of interest to you. They might change in subject and tone as well once they happen. Let’s look into the future and see what’s coming soon… err or later! ;)</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></b></span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Subtractive Design!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>How less is sometimes more.</div></span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Inspiration!</span></strong>﻿<br /><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some exercises to help you flex your creative brain hamsters. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Appeal!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most humans are genetically hardwired to find certain visual things appealing. Here’s a few of them to think about.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Highest Highs! Lowest Lows!</span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The emotional journey of game development.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Find your Family!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who you surround yourself with matters in life, work and play.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Metroidvania for Beginners!</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few helpful hints for developing games featuring lock and key mechanics and re-traversal elements.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">It’s not what you do! It’s how well you do it!</span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are lots of games that do the same things, why are some of them better than others!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Platformer Polish!</span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some often overlooked things to consider when making side scrolling platformers!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Your camera IS your game!</span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How the camera is the view into your world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Definitive!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some things are iconic, timeless and definitive. This is what makes them that way.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Take the Throne or Make Your Own!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A discussion about Red and Blue Ocean Theory.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Yo Dawg I heard you like Zelda!</span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My opinions on how I think Ico and Shadow of the Colossus may have been influenced by Zelda.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Go with the flow!</span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Combos in Street Fighter 2 were a bug! Why sometimes you should work with what you’ve got instead of making what you wanted.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Random!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are factors in play that are out of your control.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Comfort and Surprise!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two great tastes... something, something, together!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Everything Matters!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You might not care about it yourself or even realize it exists, but someone else sure does!</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to see the things that you ordinarily cannot.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">It Takes a Team!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How you need people even if you are making a game by yourself!</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everyone on a team matters and brings more to the table than you know!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Destructive Games!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How some games have the power to ruin your ability to enjoy others. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">Limitations!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Limitations create gameplay opportunities.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everyone would love to do anything they ever wanted without restriction… Until they can!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;">A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How including pictures can make what you are talking about more interesting and understandable!</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We live in a world of instant gratification so most people don’t have time to waste reading.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How I should have included more images in this post. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To be continued… In actual blog entries. </span></div><br /></div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-38703699268655772282012-12-22T16:54:00.000-08:002012-12-22T16:54:13.729-08:00Gurgin'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U7HhDPoQPoY/UNZVlFiROYI/AAAAAAAAAF0/jRFI34TEO1A/s1600/Gurgin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U7HhDPoQPoY/UNZVlFiROYI/AAAAAAAAAF0/jRFI34TEO1A/s1600/Gurgin.jpg" height="400" width="371" /></a></div><br />Seeing how the world didn't end and all I thought I'd post up an old sketch showing how the cycle still continues. You gotta keep on Gurgin'!Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-6577804052676516922012-12-20T11:57:00.001-08:002012-12-20T11:57:47.283-08:00Art Drop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's a large assortment of art out of my sketchpad. I finally got around to scanning it all. It's just a bunch of different ideas. I'll hopefully paint some of this stuff up in the near future. This is all about a year and half to two years old at this point. I have some plans for a few of these characters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fWUYdEwiCMY/UNNseV2kBEI/AAAAAAAAAEc/Y_75viRNFTM/s1600/sketchpad01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fWUYdEwiCMY/UNNseV2kBEI/AAAAAAAAAEc/Y_75viRNFTM/s1600/sketchpad01.jpg" height="400" width="277" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ImdF93fjV7E/UNNsgXjxrtI/AAAAAAAAAEk/3syR--uWZvs/s1600/sketchpad02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ImdF93fjV7E/UNNsgXjxrtI/AAAAAAAAAEk/3syR--uWZvs/s1600/sketchpad02.jpg" height="400" width="301" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uvSmJHAqfv8/UNNshiyiUFI/AAAAAAAAAEs/8LXN7izUKIs/s1600/sketchpad03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uvSmJHAqfv8/UNNshiyiUFI/AAAAAAAAAEs/8LXN7izUKIs/s1600/sketchpad03.jpg" height="400" width="172" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vr1PIscoLLE/UNNsi3mFqnI/AAAAAAAAAE0/vgAGEU577hs/s1600/sketchpad04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vr1PIscoLLE/UNNsi3mFqnI/AAAAAAAAAE0/vgAGEU577hs/s1600/sketchpad04.jpg" height="348" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7V1mc8U-R0w/UNNsk-oZaQI/AAAAAAAAAE8/KrnPVAD5t9A/s1600/sketchpad05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7V1mc8U-R0w/UNNsk-oZaQI/AAAAAAAAAE8/KrnPVAD5t9A/s1600/sketchpad05.jpg" height="400" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ty91z7ZyeYc/UNNsnIjeDUI/AAAAAAAAAFE/VSjIuZ4saBQ/s1600/sketchpad06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ty91z7ZyeYc/UNNsnIjeDUI/AAAAAAAAAFE/VSjIuZ4saBQ/s1600/sketchpad06.jpg" height="391" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d8O6MK1qTAI/UNNspFowNOI/AAAAAAAAAFM/i3h7OR6_Qjs/s1600/sketchpad07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d8O6MK1qTAI/UNNspFowNOI/AAAAAAAAAFM/i3h7OR6_Qjs/s1600/sketchpad07.jpg" height="392" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-psUEEEkHzoM/UNNsr7NVw7I/AAAAAAAAAFU/WxR35zbUANk/s1600/sketchpad08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-psUEEEkHzoM/UNNsr7NVw7I/AAAAAAAAAFU/WxR35zbUANk/s1600/sketchpad08.jpg" height="367" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHmtTnQvrV4/UNNstw3neVI/AAAAAAAAAFc/Wy7OWd4VAnI/s1600/sketchpad09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHmtTnQvrV4/UNNstw3neVI/AAAAAAAAAFc/Wy7OWd4VAnI/s1600/sketchpad09.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CE5hdSvy83g/UNNsvt72wzI/AAAAAAAAAFk/ndaJt2XeuO8/s1600/sketchpad10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CE5hdSvy83g/UNNsvt72wzI/AAAAAAAAAFk/ndaJt2XeuO8/s1600/sketchpad10.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-6835443278388564092012-12-19T23:45:00.003-08:002012-12-19T23:47:26.451-08:00Vexx: Making Of - Part 1A long time ago in a company long since destroyed there&nbsp;existed a game which would eventually become known as Vexx. At one point in development it was known as Clip and Mischief and then it&nbsp;became&nbsp;Jinx. While digging around on one of my older laptops I came across some of my early concept and level design work. I thought I'd share some of it since as far as I'm aware most of this hasn't been seen before.<br /><br />Here are a few enemy&nbsp;creature concepts I did&nbsp;in early&nbsp;2000.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hMmU_xAi7Ys/UNK4xENEejI/AAAAAAAAAC8/MyNDYfQW5nc/s1600/EnemyConcepts1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hMmU_xAi7Ys/UNK4xENEejI/AAAAAAAAAC8/MyNDYfQW5nc/s1600/EnemyConcepts1.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jC5U8Af3dro/UNK4556Y__I/AAAAAAAAADE/3eJwq7jF7Wk/s1600/EnemyConcepts2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jC5U8Af3dro/UNK4556Y__I/AAAAAAAAADE/3eJwq7jF7Wk/s1600/EnemyConcepts2.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the first World concept I did for the game which was used for internal demonstrations as well as for the reveal to game journalists. I did close ups for all of the different sections of the game but this is the only one I've found so far.&nbsp;Gregg Hargrove did the colors. I think Jools Watsham might have painted one of the islands as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UaPnbB56nGw/UNK5i5y_9hI/AAAAAAAAADM/DxOuGZN8Fog/s1600/OriginalVexx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UaPnbB56nGw/UNK5i5y_9hI/AAAAAAAAADM/DxOuGZN8Fog/s1600/OriginalVexx.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">﻿</div>Here are a few concepts for the character when he was still called Clip or Jinx. I did the line work and painting on the non human characters and Gregg Hargrove did the coloring on the one with the Vivi-ish hat and boots. :P<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YyX36IxmF6Q/UNK6yvJDWxI/AAAAAAAAADY/A3zf44e0668/s1600/JinxVer1feb00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YyX36IxmF6Q/UNK6yvJDWxI/AAAAAAAAADY/A3zf44e0668/s1600/JinxVer1feb00.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K1YWXK8BheM/UNK62yyY8TI/AAAAAAAAADo/nSn7srEKAYg/s1600/JinxVer3feb00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K1YWXK8BheM/UNK62yyY8TI/AAAAAAAAADo/nSn7srEKAYg/s1600/JinxVer3feb00.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YJtCn5hPdmU/UNK60RxO6rI/AAAAAAAAADg/h4XsNdAFn7k/s1600/Jinxver2feb00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YJtCn5hPdmU/UNK60RxO6rI/AAAAAAAAADg/h4XsNdAFn7k/s1600/Jinxver2feb00.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>This is a concept I did for what Vexx&nbsp;might look like in the sequel which never went into production. Remember all of this art is from 2000 though this one might have been 01 or 02. I wanted to give Vexx summon-able spirit creatures that would function kind of like the stands in&nbsp;Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. I know the summon creature here looks stupid but hey it's not like I would spend the time to redo it now. R.I.P. Vexx.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLeUVf5BJ9U/UNK8ApdEEjI/AAAAAAAAAD4/4NPwyaVyXTw/s1600/VexxNov2002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLeUVf5BJ9U/UNK8ApdEEjI/AAAAAAAAAD4/4NPwyaVyXTw/s1600/VexxNov2002.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;This last one is from one of my levels called Dragon Reach. This was early in progress geo I put together to figure out the pathing to objectives. Gregg Hargrove did a concept over the top so we had a visual target. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V2D6chZwMbY/UNK9nZ5Eg5I/AAAAAAAAAEM/CMoNlWyO8T0/s1600/skeletor3b2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V2D6chZwMbY/UNK9nZ5Eg5I/AAAAAAAAAEM/CMoNlWyO8T0/s1600/skeletor3b2.jpg" height="640" width="496" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had built just under 1/3 of all of the designer level geo in the shipping game but the game was originally supposed to have twice as many levels. All of them were built but near half were cut to make sure we could finish and polish the ones that made the cut. It feels a little weird showing such old work but it is fun to look back. Vexx isn't all that well known but I had fun working on the game and met a ton of amazing people along the way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll post up some more designer block in geo from in production levels in a&nbsp;2nd part&nbsp;eventually. I'll make sure Part 2 is more design focussed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">﻿</div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-90236323489425172652012-12-19T22:52:00.001-08:002012-12-19T23:46:03.226-08:00Good Idea, Bad Idea<span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></span>When making games how do you tell the difference between a good idea and a bad idea? I was once told that when you describe a good idea to someone they can’t stop thinking of the ways in which it could be used and what they could do with it. When you describe a bad idea to someone they have trouble thinking of more than one way to use it or they require more information. While this might not mean the idea is actually “bad” there might be better ideas for the amount of time or resources you have to make something. This may all seem like common sense but sometimes common sense isn’t so common. Something can sound good and then end up being bad so you’ll still have to use your best judgment.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">This brings me to the way in which I found that this good idea recognition philosphy can work. Some of the best ideas are things which require little effort and provide big results. Take for instance the Brick in Super Mario Bros. The brick is an amazing idea in that it’s simple and complex. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can stand on them. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can bump them from below to kill enemies on top.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can break them when you are large.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can hide them in thin air so that they are only revealed when jumping into them.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can hide pickups in them secretly.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can put “?” on the side to make them special.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can hide secret vines in them that take you to bonus levels.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can build an entire game worth of content with Bricks alone!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">It seems simple but the brick is an amazing idea. How about we look at a different game like Donkey Kong Country! DKC includes devices called barrel cannons. This is just a simple object that sucks you in and spits you out but it’s incredibly versatile.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can shoot from barrel to barrel.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can shoot in a straight line.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can shoot with an arc.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can shoot past obstacles.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can shoot through enemies.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can bounce off of enemies.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can shoot into and out of the screen.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>They can rotate.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>They can move.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>They can blow up after being used.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span>You can build an entire game worth of content with Barrel Cannons alone!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">There’s even more things you can do with them but you get the point. Now let’s look at Angry Birds. I’ll save you the bullet point list this time. The entire game is made from simple breakable physics objects and pigs put into any number of variations. There is a small quantity of pieces to use but you can make an infinite variation of levels off of those pieces. What a great idea.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Minecraft also shares this style of content. The entire game revolves around nothing more than placing and removing blocks and yet you can build an entire game worth of content with those blocks. These are all great ideas.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">If you were making these games you wouldn’t be able to run out of ideas on how to use these components because they are versatile. I’m sure you’re now able to think of any number of other games with good ideas executed in ways that let them create a lot from very little. Portal, Journey, Street Fighter, Cut the Rope, Canabalt and Tetris are all built on good ideas.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Good ideas are still just ideas and have to be executed on well in order to become a reality. This concept of good idea recognition isn’t restricted to just mechanics, gimmicks and objects. It works on stories and all of the other content that goes into games. The good idea can also be the creation of a tool that allows you to make varied content easier.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Hopefully you’ve found this helpful but remember that this is just a philosophy and not a hard rule. Good ideas inspire you to think about all of the things that can be done with them but even ideas which can only be used once can still be good, they just might not as helpful in the end. Some say there’s no such thing as a bad idea. While this might be true I would still advise you to seek an idea that might be better just in case. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><o:p></o:p></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-68894405835329136022012-12-19T17:32:00.000-08:002012-12-19T17:56:03.094-08:00Motivation!&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Calibri;">People often ask me what it takes to get into the game industry. In a lot of ways it boils down to one important factor… Motivation! Most of the people that I know in games, films, music, comics or entertainment have a similar trait. They are (or at least were) motivated to do something. They were willing to learn how to do something new by trying and then continuing to try. That first step is key because without it there will be no other steps.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You don’t need anything to get into the games industry other than pure and simple motivation. Every single person doing anything that contributes to the creation of something new didn’t know how to do it before they started. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you want to be an artist you don’t need to know how to draw or to 3D model. You&nbsp;need to motivate yourself to try! There’s no excuse for not trying. If you want to learn how to design then just design something. You will never succeed in learning how to do anything if you aren’t motivated enough to just do it. Jimmy Hendrix was a shitty guitar player… when he first picked up a guitar. He was willing to try where others might have given up. He still had to practice and he had the self-motivation to do just that.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you say something like I can’t be a programmer because I don’t know how to program then you are temporarily forgetting that one key ingredient. Motivation makes it happen. The only difference between those that do and those that don’t is motivation. You can’t learn without action! Don’t wait for someone else to tell you what you need to do! Don’t wait to learn how to do something before getting started! Stop making excuses about how you don’t know how to do it or that you can’t! Jump into action and try, then try more, then continue until one day you realize that you have accomplished your goals and you’re now doing what you wanted to do in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The funny thing about the games industry is that playing games and overcoming challenges requires the same skills as making games themselves. Lots of games challenge you and only through determination and motivation will you progress. The same resolve is required to learn the trade. The only difference is that games reward you with sounds and images that someone else created for you. Learning a trade rewards you with things you create yourself!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Practice, practice, practice, practice! Every attempt brings you closer to success. You can do anything you set your mind to. Just stay motivated and good things will happen! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s a great interview with Jordan Mechner and Eric Chahi where Mechner talks about the 1 3 2 method. Give it a read; you’ll be glad you did! </span><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4239/the_auteur_forum_mechner_and_.php"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4239/the_auteur_forum_mechner_and_.php</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you’re in the industry or trying to get into it for the first time remember this one thing. Stay motivated and keep going. You’ll get there eventually!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-2969752785331225652012-12-19T14:47:00.001-08:002012-12-19T14:49:53.259-08:00Group Photo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sz7NTBKNEz4/UNJCvbzl6UI/AAAAAAAAACs/hKwmfpv--K8/s1600/RandomChars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sz7NTBKNEz4/UNJCvbzl6UI/AAAAAAAAACs/hKwmfpv--K8/s1600/RandomChars.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><br />I like to doodle a bunch of random creatures in my sketchpad. These are from a couple of years ago. I start with a thick Sharpie outline and then I figure out the inside details. I draw in pen only so I have to live with any mistakes I make. This sometimes creates happy accidents that I wouldn't have arrived at if I had any intention to begin with.Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-15732608570775167502012-12-19T14:38:00.001-08:002012-12-19T14:49:53.258-08:00The Expanse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1CpxlZmFT8/UNJBmRAZqpI/AAAAAAAAACc/fisRHMoSyYg/s1600/Mountain03c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1CpxlZmFT8/UNJBmRAZqpI/AAAAAAAAACc/fisRHMoSyYg/s1600/Mountain03c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br />Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4493677186706857903.post-46940334402598415442012-12-19T12:37:00.001-08:002012-12-19T14:50:20.726-08:00There's Power in Words!<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Words hold power! I know you’ve probably heard something along those lines at some point in your life but it’s absolutely true. What you call something defines it! </span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Let’s look at the simple example of titles or positions. Imagine I asked you if you would like to meet one of two people. The first one is a <strong>SALES ASSOCIATE</strong> and the other one is the <strong>PRESIDENT</strong>. Not everyone will choose the same one but you can almost guarantee that more people will chose to meet the president than the sales associate. The funny thing is that both of those choices could be the same person. You can do this with any number of positions from directors to custodians to workers. These are just words used to describe someone. Now the sales associate could be more amazing in every way than the president but people have to react to the only info you have provided. You can see how powerful a simple label can be.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How about we switch gears and talk about descriptions. This is where hyperbole can become a factor. Let’s say I offer you the choice between and <strong>INCREDIBLE</strong> sandwich and a <strong>TERRIBLE</strong> sandwich! The sandwiches are both technically the same sandwich but the choice is clear! How about a more subtle approach? You can have a good sandwich or you can have an ok sandwich. The choice is no longer so clear which is why people tend to exaggerate. Again simple words have the power to sway a decision.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">These principles apply to fame and advertising as well. The more you hear a word the more familiar and comfortable you are with the word. This leads to the word having more power. Let’s say you travel to a country and you get arrested. While you are in jail you are given a choice between a <strong>COKE</strong>or an <strong>INGLIOMDORETRIA SODA</strong>. Most people around the world would choose a Coke, even if the ingredients are the same and even if they’d never had a sip of Coke in their life. There’s history, familiarity and comfort there. They have heard Coke so they feel more comfortable choosing that.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Words can be self-fulfilling prophecies as well. Have you ever heard someone talk about how they can never meet anyone when they are sitting in a room full of people? Have you ever heard some say I can’t do it and then never make an attempt? Words have the power to manifest things by how they not only influence the speaker but also those around them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So now let’s look at games development. You’re making a children’s adventure game and your team consists of 30 people who will all be working on various things. You are in the process of making content for the game and put together a list of assets that need to be developed. The list might include entries that look something like this:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Levels</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">World 2 – Room03</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enemies</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Generic Mover</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you are in development you might see the list and think that style of content description isn’t uncommon. You’ll figure out what you want to do with those along the way and then give them final names once you’ve defined them. Now think about what we are discussing when looking back on that list. It’s all up to random chance. Someone might figure out something cool to fill in there but often time’s people have time pressure. They might not have direct access to the writer or director. They might just have to make something and then pass that on to someone else. So think about what happens when the description they get is generic. How much character will they actually add to it? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>What would someone think if they hear about it from the outside and share that with another person? <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s adjust the list so that the assets now have some type of name description.</span><br /><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Levels</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Glowing Mountain – Cave of Wonder</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enemies</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Laughing Leaper</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">These words have now created a description and an expectation of the assets to be created. Even without any additional information anyone that hears about them will be more inspired to think about what they would do with those or what they mean. It’s not guaranteed that you will end up with better results but based on what you call something, what word you use, you have the power to change or improve whatever it is.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another talking point is in regards to picking titles for a game from existing words or making something up. Remember that a word will define something and often times you only get one shot. You see 2 games behind the counter at your game story, <strong>LEGENDARY</strong> or <strong>STANDORETHICA</strong>. Sometimes you can gain interest by using a made up word as it’s mysterious, but the vast majority of people will pick the familiar word. They will be able to say Legendary and will understand it immediately. When people speak about other things and someone says legendary then you might think of the game even though that wasn’t the context in which it was said. Legendary has a history full of meaning. The other title just can’t compete.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are risks associated with using familiar words though. Unless your use becomes known to begin with it might be swept away and lost in a sea of other uses. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Look at your favorite Films, Music and Games. Think about all of the content within them. Now look at some that haven’t succeed. Some of the most famous and popular are familiar and defining in ways that describe them in a superior manner. Would a game like Street Fighter have been as successful if it had been called Shinku Hadoken? Would the Master Sword have been as important or timeless if it had been called Garudo's Bane? Would Master Chief be as iconic or memorable if his name had been Nathan Smiggles? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>StarWars, Batman, Superman, Tomb Raider, Megaman and Avatar all had familiar words before you’d ever seen them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There’s always going to be more to any subject but just remember that what you call something defines it in ways that can expand beyond your expectations. People can repeat those words, they can have prior meanings and they can influence how something is perceived, received or even created. Remember how much power your words can have the next time you name something or describe it to a friend. It can make all the difference in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Kynan Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949419039113965119noreply@blogger.com0